Did I take advantage of the perfect Spring weather to go out and take a shit load of photos today? No. No I did not. I suck. To make up for it, here’s another bunch of pics taken with my father’s Pentax K1000.
Note the matching t-shirts.
Not a horse’s ass, but…
If you had asked me two days ago whether or not I was planning on bringing a film camera on our next Florida vacation in June I think I would have said no.
Then yesterday I got a bunch of film developed and now I think the answer will probably be yes. I am so easily manipulated.
One day in Manhattan. Maybe better described as most of one day in Manhattan.
That’s the plan. Drive to someplace in Connecticut that has rail access to NYC. Stay overnight. Take a train into the city tomorrow morning, early. Stay for most of the day. Sometime in the late afternoon or early evening, take a train back to where we started and then drive home.
That leaves two questions. First, what do we do while we’re there. Second, which cameras do I bring?
To answer the first question, we’ll probably just go where the xmas decorations take us. This trip is an attempt at forcing some holiday spirit onto our grinchy, scroogy selves. To answer the second question… I am not sold on anything yet except that I will not be bringing my new medium format camera. I need to run a roll through it to make sure it works before I bring it anywhere of consequence. I just have to get off my ass and do it. So it’s down to the digital Nikon Z5, and the 35mm Pentax K1000, and Nikon FG-20. Both of the film cameras have partially shot rolls. The K1000 is down to the last handful of shits on a roll of Kentmere 400, which is Black and White, and the FG-20 has most of a roll of Kodak ColorPlus 200.
I think I want to bring the K1000 (my father’s camera) and a couple of rolls of color film. I have a handful of ColorPlus that I could bring. I would only bring one or two. I don’t want to spend all of my time fudging with film. At least… assuming I bring the digital camera too. My thought though… do I want to even bring the digital camera? I mean, I do. I want to bring it literally everywhere I go. On this occasion though? There’s a little part of me that is considering going film-only this time.
I don’t know… I am thinking about it.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Daily writing prompt
There is a short, obvious answer to this question. There is also the day dream fantasy answer. I’ll give you both and maybe give a photo or two.
Home is where my wife, Jen is. Where ever she is, that is where I want to live. Right now that is a little ranch house in North Eastern Massachusetts, just a stone’s throw away from the New Hampshire state line.
That’s the honest, real answer. I want to be where she is. Now for the daydream fantasy answer. There are a lot of options. I sort of see myself as a city guy when I fantasize about moving to a new place. I would probably prefer to live in the suburbs close to a big city, but for discussion’s sake let’s say we’re moving to the city itself.
First on the list is San Diego. I went there for the first time on our honeymoon and fell in love with the place. We’ve been back a few times and each time we’ve gone it’s gotten harder and harder to leave.
The second daydream choice would probably be Manhattan. This is conflicting to me given that I am a Boston sports fan and absolutely loath all New York teams. It would be hard to live in enemy (Yankees) territory, but I think I could manage it.
The dark horse candidate comes from our honeymoon again. We visited a bunch of places on our honeymoon. One destination was Washington, DC. While we were there we explored Maryland a little and spent a little time in Annapolis. That is a city I think I could live in.
As far as the United States is concerned let’s just say that I am a New England guy first and foremost. I could live in the mountains of New Hampshire, the coast of Maine, the lake in Vermont, the Southern cost of Rhode Island, and… well… Connecticut… not so much. If I could pick anywhere in New England though, it would absolutely be Boston.
What about places outside of the US? As we watch in horror as fascism rises here, I often find myself wondering if the time to leave has arrived. I would need to go someplace where they speak English. Canada is cold so I probably would not want to go there, even though Toronto is beautiful.
Montreal is pretty wonderful too, but that has the same negative that New York has. Living among the enemy (Montreal Canadians fans) and all.
England would be a decent choice too, but Brexit makes me think that it wouldn’t be different enough from the US as far as the political climate is concerned. Scotland and Ireland would be better. Glasgow or Dublin maybe? I’ve never been so no pictures. Australia would be another option, but I really don’t know much about that country beyond the Monty Python Philosophers sktech.
So there you have it. The correct answer to where would I live is where ever Jen lives. The fantasy answers are San Diego, Manhattan, Annapolis, and maybe some English speaking place outside of the US.
There might be big things happening next weekend. There is a concert in Burlington, VT that will include my step daughter and her staggering vocal talent. That’s a big deal. Might the weekend turn out to be an even bigger deal?
Before the dark days of Covid-19 ruined everything, Jen and I used to try to go to New York during the Christmas season. Sure it’s freezing cold, but it’s New York at Christmas and it’s worth the frostbite and the shivering and all that.
Over the last month we’ve been talking ourselves into and out of making the trip. Jen wants to go but I’m nervous, then I want to go but Jen is nervous, and back and forth we go. Covid-19 paranoia at it’s worst, right? Yesterday Jen asked if I wanted to go to New York next weekend before we head up to Burlington. Sure it’s three hours in the wrong direction, but it’s still doable. I said yes, immediately. No doubts this time.
Will it happen? Who knows. There’s still a week to go for one of us to change our minds, but as of last night we’re in. I even took the last two hours of the day off next Friday in case we want to sneak out early. If we do it, we’ll do it on the cheap. In other words, we’ll stay outside of the city and take the commuter train into town. We’ve done that before. Staying in the city is preferable but hotels in New York are amazingly expensive. Cheaper rooms are the better option when you have two kids in college. Believe me.
If we do this it will be for me, personally, a test run for Disney World from a camera perspective. I’d bring a film camera and a digital camera and start with film and go until I finish a roll (or two?) and then go digital for the rest of the way. The only question is, which film stock should I bring? Oh, the questions. Talk about a dilemma, right?
The final New York question would be is The Book of Mormon still running on Broadway? Screw Hamilton, I wants me some South Park (adjacent)!
It’s the day after Thanksgiving so I guess it’s officially Christmas season, whether I like it or not. HoHoHo and all that crap.
We cut short our two days in Washington by one day and decided to spend that day in New York. We booked a hotel before we left DC, but otherwise had no plans.
We head North and Waze takes us into Manhattan through the Lincoln tunnel. The second we pull out of the tunnel a thunderstorm hits and the sky literally falls on us. Huge, massive downpour.
We get to the hotel, my wife runs inside to check us in and I wait for a valet. I’m double parked. A city bus comes up behind me. I have to move.
Around the block I hit monster traffic as everyone here (just like at home in Boston) equates rain with a suspension of all driving laws. Idiots everywhere. It took me about 10 minutes to get around the block. When I got back I double parked again. No one from the valet paying any attention. The rain continues to pour. Again, a city bus starts honking.
Screw you, bus driver!
I pulled up a little and blocked a driveway. Someone from the hotel comes out with an umbrella. Do I give you my key? No. Damn it. I get all discombobulated trying to hurry up and get the bags and get inside out of the rain and figure out who the hell gets my car key and who gives me a receipt…
…and I forgot my iPhone in the fucking car.
Looks like no Pokemon Go at the Empire State Building for me.
Want to see the room we stayed in last weekend?
You’re gonna be jealous.
As jealous as we are poor now.
Yes, we had a television embedded into our bathroom mirror. Yes, that’s a thing.
Oh yeah, and unless we forget… there was the awesome view.
And that, friends and neighbors, is the sweetest suite on Earth. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go cry over the fact that we are now dirt poor.
We were supposed to head to New York today to celebrate my wife’s upcoming birthday. Unfortunately there was a snow storm in the forecast so we had to scrap the plan.
We left yesterday instead.
So now instead of spending hours on the road today trying to get here, we are looking for things to do on what is literally a bonus day in the city.
We are about a block away from the Empire State Building, and our hotel room is facing it. As an added bonus, we can see the new One World Trade Center building (aka the Freedom Tower) from our room too, and if we look out a different window we can see the top of the Chrysler Building.
This suite is pretty sweet!
Get ready. Here comes a bonanza of New York pics. Basically, everything that doesn’t involve Ground Zero.
We stayed at the Omni on 5th Avenue. We started our Saturday with a nice walk down 5th.
We came across St Patrick’s Cathedral. It is entirely under renovations. Inside and out.
We did not go to Radio City this time, but I always feel the need to acknowledge it.
I’m sure there is a logical reason for big tanks of Nitrogen to be out on the street. I’m sure of it.
A bunch of the stores on 5th had Christmas window displays. I want to say that this is Sacks, but I’m not sure. I’m not even sure I spelled Sacks correctly.
We visited the Rockefeller Center tree on Sunday, but not on Saturday. This was taken as we passed by, from across the street.
Down the street from the Empire State Building. We didn’t go there either. It’s not the tallest building in the city anymore.
5th Ave, babie.
Modern Art, or geometry homework? You be the judge.
The obligatory subway adventure. Get ready for blurry train pics.
Told you.
My love. My wife. She who had the ridiculously irresponsible idea to visit the city. Good thinking, love!
We happened upon a movie shoot. Or at least some trucks and a caterer.
I took many, many pictures of random buildings.
I love finding the normal looking buildings hidden behind the gigantic sky scrapers. Look at this little two story runt.
A razor, a shaving brush, and a stand to hang them off of… $300. I love New York. (no, we didn’t buy it. My beard (or the ugly crap that passes for it) ain’t worth that much)
On this corner is located a place that needs to be saved for future reference. Last time we were in New York we stayed across the street from a restaurant that had a Sunday brunch. On Sunday we went there without realizing that their Sunday brunch was $100 a plate. Oh my stars it was worth it though. The bacon… oh the bacon.
The Christmas lights looked more impressive at night, but what are you going to do, right?
Concrete next to glass and steel. Old next to new.
After lunch we went back to the hotel for a while. When we went out again it was dark out.
That cop came up on us while we were crossing the street. We were in the way so a bus couldn’t pull through the red light to let the cop by. Sorry about that, officer.
This is on Park Avenue. Jen thought it was the Helmsley Building.
The Christmas lights really are much better at night.
Because we booked the hotel at the absolute last second, we were able to snag a massive discount on a fantastic room on the top floor of the Omni hotel. Granted, it wasn’t the suite on the top floor of the Omni hotel. This plaque is on the wall outside of said suite.
On Sunday morning we went for another walk. This time we wanted to go to the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
There were three Christmas light cats. At least we only saw three. The third one is coming later on.
Back at the tree.
This trip was our Christmas present to each other. Merry Christmas, Jen. I love you so much!
We didn’t go up to The Rock’s observation floor. It was freezing out on the ground. It would have been much worse a billion feet in the air.
And we finish with the third Christmas light cat. I hope you enjoyed my pointless pics from our Christmasy weekend get away to New York.
Inside the Red Head's Head 